How to get to Preikestolen
The ferry that is not there any more
I will start here because it wastes more visitor time than anything else. For decades the way to Preikestolen from Stavanger was the car ferry across to Tau, and every printed guide said so. On 30 December 2019 the Ryfylke Tunnel opened as part of the Ryfast subsea system and that ferry service was withdrawn. The crossing is now a drive. If your itinerary says catch the ferry to Tau, your itinerary is out of date, and so is the timing it gave you.
By car
Highway 13 out of Stavanger, through the Ryfylke Tunnel under the fjord, exit at Solbakk, then road 523 to Jørpeland and follow the signs for Preikestolen. Three kilometres past the town you come to the car park at the Fjellstue. It is 45 to 60 minutes of straightforward driving with no navigation to speak of, and the tunnel is long, deep and entirely undramatic.
The parking is the part to think about. The main lot takes around 400 cars plus a score of coaches; the overflow at Moslimyrå adds roughly 600 more, so about a thousand spaces in total. The fee is paid at a machine, normally on the way out, and the lots are staffed for part of the day. Overnight sleeping in vehicles is not allowed. On a fine Saturday in July, arrive early or expect the overflow: how the car park works.
The scenic way in, by ferry
There is still a ferry in this story, just not that one. The Lauvvik to Oanes crossing runs roughly every half hour and takes you in via Sandnes along the southern side. It is longer and much prettier, and I take it when I have visitors who want to see the fjord from water level before they see it from above. It is an alternative, not the main way, and not the route to choose if you are racing a tide of other people to the car park.
The seasonal bus
Buses run from Byterminalen, the central bus terminal in Stavanger, straight to the trailhead. Two morning departures in March and April; up to nine a day from around 20 June to around 13 September. Tickets must be bought online in advance, they are not sold on board, and outside those months there is effectively no bus. That is the single most important sentence for anyone planning a Preikestolen day without a car in October, or in February: the bus page.
From the cruise terminal
The main berth is Strandkaien, two minutes' walk from Old Stavanger, with other berths at Skagenkaien, Skansekaien, Somaneset and Piren. Doing Preikestolen independently from a ship means roughly an hour out, four to five hours walking and an hour back, so six hours minimum against a typical eight to ten hour call. It fits with no margin at all, and a missed bus is a missed ship. The guided day that starts at the terminal exists precisely for this: the cruise-ship arithmetic.
What there is no way to do
Walk or cycle from Stavanger, sensibly. Reach the trailhead by public transport outside the bus season. Or park at the plateau, which people ask about more often than you would think: there is no road up, no lift and no shuttle. The trail is the only way onto Preikestolen and it always has been.
From the cruise terminalStavanger: Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) Hike with Local Guide
Picked up at your doorFrom Stavanger: Pulpit Rock Guided Hike with Pickup
No hiking at allStavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen
If you are driving in high season, leave Stavanger before seven. You will get a space in the main lot, you will have the stone staircases largely to yourself, and you will be coming down past the queue going up, which is a quietly satisfying way to spend a morning.
The options compared
Every way out of the city, tour and non-tour, is set side by side on the from-Stavanger page, and the situation-by-situation answer is on which one to choose.
Booking transport out
The guided day from the cruise terminal is below.
A reminder about what that widget is. It books the ride out of Stavanger and, on most of these, a guide. It does not book Preikestolen. Nobody sells a ticket to the trail: it is free, open and unguided, and you can walk up it without paying anyone a thing.
Frequently asked questions
Is there still a ferry from Stavanger to Preikestolen?
Not the Stavanger to Tau car ferry. The Ryfylke Tunnel replaced it on 30 December 2019. The Lauvvik to Oanes ferry still runs as a scenic route via Sandnes.
How do you drive to Preikestolen from Stavanger?
Highway 13 through the Ryfylke Tunnel, exit at Solbakk, road 523 to Jørpeland, then 3 km to the trailhead. About 45 to 60 minutes.
Is there a bus to Preikestolen?
Seasonally, from Byterminalen: two morning departures in March and April, up to nine a day from around 20 June to 13 September, booked online: the bus page.
Can you drive to the top of Pulpit Rock?
No. There is no road, no lift and no shuttle to the plateau. The trail is the only way up: the trail page.